Day 1 Fri. BOARD YOUR OVERNIGHT TRANSATLANTIC
FLIGHT.
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Day 2 Sat. ARRIVAL IN ATHENS, GREECE.
Check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to start
exploring the Greek capital. Later, meet your Tour Director and fellow
travelers.
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Day 3 Sun. ATHENS. A day to do just as
you please. You could also join an optional day cruise to the islands of Aegina,
Hydra, and Poros. In the evening free time to enjoy the lively atmosphere of the
tavernas and nightclubs in the old Plaka district with its narrow streets and
sound of bouzouki music. (B)
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Day 4 Mon. ATHENS-NAUPLIA. Join the
included sightseeing tour of Athens featuring the highlights of this ancient
capital and a visit to the Acropolis and its fascinating museum. Next, westward
to the Corinth Canal. Journey into the Argolis to make a stop in Epidaurus.
Visit the open-air theater, which can still seat 14,000 spectators, then head
for the coast and overnight in Nauplia. (B,D)
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Day 5 Tue. NAUPLIA-MYCENAE-SPARTA. This
morning enjoy the included excursion with a Local Guide to Mycenae, a city
fortress cursed by the gods but rich in gold and warrior kings. Motor south in
the afternoon deep into the Peloponnese to Sparta for overnight. (B,D)
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Day 6 Wed. SPARTA-PYLOS. Your morning
highlight will be the included sightseeing of Mystra, at one time known as “The
Florence of the East.” In the afternoon an easy and short drive westwards will
take you to Pylos, located on a majestic bay on the Messenian gulf. (B,D)
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Day 7 Thu. PYLOS-NESTOR’S
PALACE-OLYMPIA. Drive north this morning to Nestor’s Palace. Your
included visit will help you imagine the siege of Troy where Nestor commanded a
large fleet. Later travel northwest to Olympia, the legendary venue of the
Olympic games, when every four years the city-states engaged in sport instead of
war. (B)
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Day 8 Fri. OLYMPIA-PATRAS-DELPHI. Focus
on Olympia where the athletes of antiquity performed in honor of the King of
Deities. Learn more about the history of the Olympic games on the optional
sightseeing tour. In the afternoon drive north to Patras, the capital of the
Peloponnese and the west coast’s largest port. Stop awhile and see St. Andrews
Church. Then proceed through the picturesque fishing villages along the south
coast of the mainland to mythical Delphi crossing the spectacular Rion-Antirion
bridge. (B)
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Day 9 Sat. DELPHI-KALAMBAKA. Optional
morning sightseeing in Delphi. In the afternoon drive north by way of Lamia and
onto Trikala in Thessaly for an overnight in Kalambaka. (B,D)
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Day 10 Sun. KALAMBAKA-METEORA-ATHENS. A
short drive to Meteora, which is a cluster of monastic buildings perched in an
unforgettable manner on a set of rising rock formations. Your included visit is
certainly the day’s highlight. Later, drive south via Lamia to Athens for
overnight. (B)
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Day 11 Mon. ATHENS-PIRAEUS
(Embarkation)-MYKONOS. Early morning embarkation and an afternoon spent
cruising in the Aegean. Evening arrival in Mykonos, a granite island and the
most typical of the Cyclades. Its cubic houses, windmills, and chapels seem to
make the island’s light even more translucent. Spend some time visiting a
taverna or just wandering around the town enjoying its timeless beauty. (B,L,D)
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Day 12 Tue. KUSADASI, TURKEY & PATMOS,
GREECE. Two ports of call today. First, Kusadasi on the Turkish coast. An
optional morning excursion takes you to the fascinating Greek, Roman, and
Byzantine excavations of Ephesus. Next, discover the tiny Greek island of
Patmos, where St. John the Divine wrote the Revelation. The 11th-century
monastery with its valuable manuscript collection is well worth a visit. (B,L,D)
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Day 13 Wed. RHODES. Dock in Rhodes,
largest of the Dodecanese Islands and site of the Colossus of Rhodes, a
105-foot statue destroyed by an earthquake in 224 B.C. All day is dedicated to
the island of Rhodes. Explore the sights in the historic Old City with its
ramparts and palaces built by the Knights of St. John during the Crusades.
Another possibility: join an optional excursion to Lindos and the fabulous
Temple of Athena. And if sightseeing is not your thing, Rhodes’ sun-drenched
beaches and colorful shopping districts are within easy walking distance of the
port. Sail from Rhodes around dinner time. (B,L,D)
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Day 14 Thu. CRETE AND SANTORINI. Morning
at Heraklion on the island of Crete. A few miles away is Knossos, the center of
the 3000 B.C. Minoan civilization, and an optional excursion can be booked. Next
port of call (weather permitting) is Santorini, the “Black Pearl of the Aegean.”
The optional shore excursion here takes you up to the cliff-top village of Oia
for one of the world’s most breathtaking panoramas. (B,L,D)
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Day 15 Fri. PIRAEUS (Disembarkation)-ATHENS.
Early morning arrival in Piraeus; drive to Athens. More time to explore
the unseen parts of the city or do some last-minute shopping. (B)
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Day 16 Sat. YOUR HOMEBOUND FLIGHT ARRIVES THE
SAME DAY. (B)
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